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Brent Burns
| birth_place = Barrie, Ontario, Canada | league = NHL | team = San Jose Sharks | former_teams = Minnesota Wild | position = Defence | shoots = Right | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 5 | weight_lb = 231 | ntl_team = CAN | draft = 20th overall | draft_year = 2003 | draft_team = Minnesota Wild | career_start = 2003 }} Brent Burns (born William Brent Burns on March 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and defenceman currently playing for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (20th overall) in 2003 and in his playing tenure, there was converted from a forward to a defenceman. Playing Career Amateur Playing Career Brent spent most of his minor hockey career playing for the Barrie Icemen and Ajax Knights of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). He spent two years playing in the Metropolitan Toronto Hockey league (MTHL) for the North York Canadiens along with fellow NHL draftees Anthony Stewart and Geoff Platt. Then, he played his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) career as a right winger with the Brampton Battalion in the 2002–03 season. Brent led the team in playoff scoring that season with five goals and six assists in 11 games. He was runner-up for Most Improved Player in the OHL as voted on by Leagues coaches. Professional Playing Career Upon turning professional with the Wild in 2003, Brent was converted to defence by defensively-minded Minnesota Head Coach Jacques Lemaire. He played in 36 games with Minnesota in the 2003–04 season, showing flashes of natural ability in rushing from the blueline. After spending the 2004-05 NHL lockout in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Houston Aeros, Brent adapted as a defenceman and earned a regular spot on the Wild roster for the 2005–06 season, contributing 16 points in 72 games. In the 2006–07 season, he eclipsed his previous season's points total with 25 and became a significant force for the Wild in the latter months of the season, scoring back-to-back overtime winners in March and engaging in two fights during the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs. On October 25, 2007, during the 2007–08 season, Brent signed a four-year contract extension with the Wild. He emerged as one of the Wild's top defencemen, scoring a career-high 15 goals and 43 points. In the 2008–09 season, Brent was regularly shifted between forward and defence with mild success before he was eventually hampered by a concussion that caused him to miss the final 19 games of the regular season. Brent's concussion was later a point of scrutiny when his agent, Ron Salcer stipulated that Wild staff had misdiagnosed his symptoms for six weeks with sinusitis, putting him at an increased health risk. Then, he had shoulder surgery upon the completion of the Wild season. Brent finished the injury-marred season with 27 points. Briefly into his 2009-10 season, Brent suffered from another concussion and began to skate again only on January 14, 2010. He finished another injury-filled season with 20 points in 47 games. On November 12, 2010, Brent was suspended for two games for hitting Florida Panthers forward Steve Bernier. He hit Bernier on the chin with the knob of the stick, causing him to bleed profusely. During the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Brent (along with a second-round draft pick in 2012) was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle and a first-round pick in 2011. With a year still left in his contract with the Wild, Brent signed a five-year contract extension on August 1, 2011, with the Sharks; the deal would pay him $28.8 million over five years, with an average salary cap figure of $5.76 million. In 2013, after rookie defenceman Matt Irwin's acquisition by the Sharks in March, he was moved to forward where he scored 20 points in 23 regular season games. In the 2013-14 NHL season, Brent played the first eight games of the season, but missed 13 games after October 21 due to sore gums. On November 21, 2013, Brent returned to the Sharks' line-up and scored a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 5–1 winning effort. On November 29th in a game against the St. Louis Blues, he recorded his first career hat-trick in a 6–3 victory. Career Statistics Regular season and playoffs International NHL All-Star Games International Play }} Brent was named the best defenceman at the 2008 World Championships as he helped Canada to a silver medal finish as the host country. He was also part of the summer camp roster for Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics, but he did not make the final roster cut. Two years later, at the 2010 World Championships, Brent led all Canadian defencemen in ice time at 18:29 minutes per game as Canada finished in seventh place. At the 2015 World Championships, he was again named the best defenceman and a member of the all-star team as part of Canada's gold medal-winning team. Accolades NHL *NHL All-Star Game selection: (2011, 2015, 2016) *NHL Foundation Player Award: (2015) International play *IIHF World Championships: Best Defenceman (2008) Personal Life Off the ice, Brent spends his summers in Barrie, Ontario, and Lake Elmo, Minnesota, and is a noted animal enthusiast. His suburban Saint Paul home is nicknamed "Burns Zoo" due to his collection of dogs, cats and dozens of reptiles, mainly snakes. It was subject of a CBC "Hockey Night in Canada" feature with Elliotte Friedman and on "After Hours." In July of 2009, Brent married his longtime girlfriend, Susan Holder. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Peyton Gabriann on March 31, 2010. On June 23, 2011, the couple welcomed their second child, a son named Jagger Stephen Patrick. Starting in the 2009 season, he purchased a suite at the Xcel Energy Center for members of the military and their families to attend Minnesota Wild home games. Category:1985 births Category:San Jose Sharks players Category:Minnesota Wild players Category:Brampton Battalion alumni Category:Houston Aeros players Category:Canadian ice hockey players